1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an educational doll and, more particularly, to a play doll that may be used to educate deaf as well as hearing impaired persons.
2. Prior Art
There are a variety of stuffed dolls and toys on the market today which have many shapes and characteristics. Most stuffed dolls and toys do not have movable parts or changeable features. They are primarily soft and cuddly toys meant to be played with and loved by their owners. Some have an added characteristic, for example, movable parts or the ability to talk.
It has been found that people attempting to learn sign language and especially the deaf, emotionally, or learning-impaired and physically handicapped, learn better from a teacher or communicator when the teacher is camouflaged or hidden behind a teaching aid which allows for the teacher to carry on his or her lesson or objective while, at the same time presenting to the viewer a facade that is pleasing and unobtrusive to the viewer.
It is, of course, well-known to teach children, to a certain and limited extent, via puppets, dolls, and the like, which allows one to engage the interest and fancy of the child while concomitantly instructing the child. Any barrier, whether natural or artificial, is at least partially broken down by such “transference” to the inanimate, yet “attention-directing”, prop or aid. The opportunity for learning through the imaginative play with puppets has been nearly inaccessible to the Deaf. Puppets that “talk” can only be interpreted to the Deaf.
Numerous toys have been proposed in the past, which have the ability to provide a changing facial expression, a movable mouth, and movable eyes in order to simulate mood changes. Such toys however lack the characteristics needed to educate the hearing impaired.
Accordingly, a need remains for an educational doll with movable parts and changing facial expressions that may be used to teach the hearing impaired while overcoming the above-noted shortcomings.